When we first put her into a single bed from a cot, I said to myself "wow, the next time this bed will get changed over is when you turn 13". You see, I've always had it in my mind that our kiddies will get their first double bed when they turn 13. At two years of age, 13 seemed so far away. I couldn't imagine my then 2 year old ever being 13. "What would she look like? Would she still have that blonde hair and baby face". I couldn't even imagine it.
Fast forward 11 years and here we are! I feel like she grew up over night. Well actually it's probably been more the start of the year things have changed dramatically. She now has a phone, a social media account (which I never thought I'd be comfortable with), and she spends a lot more time in her bedroom than what she used to. In turn means I have a lot more time just for me. And truth be told, that's really hard to get used to. Harder than what I thought.
I love the fact she dances to the beat of her own drum. She has had to become a pretty resilient kid and we continue to teach her everyday that not everyone will be her friend, not everyone will like you. But in amongst the chaos, you will find gems and they will shine and fill your bucket. But above all, be kind, hold your head high and remember, you are an olive.
To celebrate her turning 13 we planned for months a Cinderella inspired photoshoot. We both fell in love with the Cinderella 2021 movie starring Camila Cabello. So the decision was easy and I was very excited to get my creative on. She loves her flowy tulle style dresses, she loves to dance and she loves to get dressed up. She does her own hair and recently has learnt how to apply her own mascara, use an eye lash curler and look after her skin. This was all incorporated in her session. The dress, well the dress had to be comfy, reflect her and her footwear.... You'll see for yourself how that panned out. And I like it. It reflects her style. She is all about comfort as opposed to following the trends.
Our session didn't quite pan out the way that I'd envisaged. The pastel skies and pink sunset that happens a lot in the North East didn't happen this weekend, instead we were presented with grey skies and gloomy weather. But with the help of another local photog, my vision changed and we embraced it.
The dress we hired from Style me co in Albury and Elle was amazing. Just as excited as we were. And these.... these are the photos that reflect her now. 13. I kinda love this age and love that our relationship is growing stronger by the day. She is still my baby girl that gives us big hugs in the morning, but she's learning about the big wide world out there and the journey that is all hers.
